[Training] Boxing's been good to me

Zavien

The biting comment had his eyes widening in surprise. Sure, Koa joked about 'rank' all the time, but he'd never made Zavien feel like he was anything less than an equal. Whatever had caused this storm of negative emotions wasn't justification for the treatment of a friend, but he'd also goaded the man, and he could understand the need to purge the feelings. At least if Zavien took them, some other unlucky person wouldn't be subject to the unwarranted anger. 

That didn't mean he was going to just sit there and take it. 

Sidestepping the feint, he narrowed his eyes slightly before throwing back a snide remark. "'Sir', it was just an -" observation. He didn't have the breath to finish his comment as the following punch landed in the soft of his stomach. The tensing of his abs was enough to keep him from the brunt of the damage, but Zavien hunched over instinctually, letting out a breathless grunt of pain. Luckily, his years of training kicked in and his padded hands stayed up to guard his face and neck. He took the barrage of punches for a moment, gasping in a wheezed breath to clear the haze. They pounded his arms and shoulders, his guard sturdy through it. He just needed a second to be able to fill his lungs again without wincing.

I learned that in suffering,
we find the true measure of our strength.